1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for measuring a body fat for a person, and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, the weight of a person was frequently used as a factor to represent a personal health condition. But, recently, a rate of body fat for a person has becoming to be an important factor to represents the health condition for the person. Accordingly, various types of method and apparatus for measuring an amount of body fat have been developed and proposed. For instance, TOKUKAISHO No. 62-169023 discloses a technique for measuring an amount of body fat for a person by entering the personal data such as height, age, sex, etc., and measuring the weight for a person and the impedance between the extreme parts on a body of the person. In addition, TOKUHYOSHO No. 57-500900 discloses a technique for measuring the thickness of a fatty fascia. According to this technique, an ultrasonic pulse signal is applied to an animal from the rear side, and any received signal reflected from a boundary between a fatty fascia and a muscle fascia is detected. Then the time period between transmission and reception of the pulse signal is measured to determine the thickness of the fatty fascia. Furthermore, TOKUKAISHO No. 62-87139 discloses an estimating method for body fat. According to this method, subcutaneous fat on each part of a human body is measured by using an ultrasonic signal. Then the measurement is multiplied by a cross sectional area factor or a body fat estimation factor on each part of the body for producing an estimate of body fat on each part of the body. Thereafter, the individual estimates are integrated to determine whole body fat.
Recently, it has found that a risk for a person to get so called xe2x80x9cadult (noncommunicable) diseasesxe2x80x9d, such as diabetes, arteriosclerosis, etc., may vary depending upon the distribution of fat or whether he has a subcutaneous fat or a visceral fat, irrespective of the same rate of fat he has. Therefore, a method of measuring the distribution of fat by analyzing a tomographic image of an abdomen taken by CT or MRI has been proposed.
Such method, however, is problematic in that the analysis of the image is highly complex and CT may produce an exposure of X-ray to the human body.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat, that can solve the problems of the prior art.
In order to attain such object, the prior art problems are solved, according to one aspect of the present invention, by providing a new and improved method of measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of. measuring a bioelectrical impedance and a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the personal data such as sex, age, height, weight, etc.; and calculating an area or an amount of abdominal visceral fat, based on the measurements of the bioelectrical impedance and the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat.
According to another aspect, the present invention provides a method of measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: measuring a bioelectrical impedance and a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the personal data such as sex, age, height, weight, etc.; and calculating an area or an amount of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the measurements of the bioelectrical impedance and the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat.
According to further aspect, the present invention provides a method of measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: measuring a bioelectrical impedance and a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the personal data such as sex, age, height, weight, etc.; and calculating an area or an amount of abdominal visceral fat and an area or an amount of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the measurements of the bioelectrical impedance and the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat.
According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides a method of measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: measuring a bioelectrical impedance and a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the sex, age, height and weight of a person; measuring a girth of abdomen; and calculating an area or an amount of abdominal visceral fat, based on the measurements of the bioelectrical impedance, the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, said thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat is measured by using an ultrasonic signal.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, said thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat is measured by using a skin hold caliper.
According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters the personal data such as sex, age, height, weight, etc.; a measuring unit that measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that enters a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; and an arithmetic element that calculates an area or an amount of abdominal visceral fat, based on the data from said first input unit, said measuring unit and said second input unit.
According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters the personal data such as sex, age, height, weight, etc.; a measuring unit that measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that enters a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; and an arithmetic element that calculates an area or an amount of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the data from said first input unit, said measuring unit and said second input unit.
According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters the personal data such as sex, age, height, weight, etc.; a measuring unit that measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that enters a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; a third input unit that enters a girth of abdomen; and an arithmetic element that calculates an area or an amount of abdominal visceral fat, based on the data from said first input unit, said measuring unit, said second input unit and said third input unit.
According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters the personal data such as sex, age, height, weight, etc.; a measuring unit that measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that enters a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; a third input unit that enters a girth of abdomen; and an arithmetic element that calculates an area or an amount of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the data from said first input unit, said measuring unit, said second input unit and said third input unit.
According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters the personal data such as sex, age, height, weight, etc.; a measuring unit that measures a bioelectrical impedance; a second input unit that enters a thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; and an arithmetic element that calculates an area or an amount of abdominal visceral fat and an area or an amount of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based on the data from said first input unit, said measuring unit and said second input unit.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, said second input unit includes an ultrasonic probe.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, the data detected by said ultrasonic probe is transmitted to said arithmetic element via a radio communication means or an optical communication means
According to further embodiment of the present invention, said second input unit includes a skin hold caliper.
According to further embodiment of the present invention, the data detected by said skin hold caliper is transmitted to said arithmetic element via a radio communication means or an optical communication means
According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first arithmetic element that calculates an area of abdominal visceral fat; a second arithmetic element that calculates an area of abdominal subcutaneous fat; and a decision unit that determines the type of corpulence by dividing the area of abdominal visceral fat calculated in said first arithmetic element by the area of abdominal subcutaneous fat calculated in said second arithmetic element.
According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides a method of measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: measuring the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen; and calculating the area of abdominal visceral fat, based upon the measurements of the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen.
According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides a method of measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: measuring the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen; and calculating the area of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based upon the measurements of the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen.
According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides a method of measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: measuring the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen; and calculating the area of abdominal visceral fat and the area of abdominal subcutaneous fat, based upon the measurements of the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat and the girth of abdomen.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, the step of deriving the area of abdominal visceral fat or the area of abdominal subcutaneous fat further comprises the step of performing a correction process based upon the personal data including sex, age, height, etc.
According to yet further aspect, the present invention provides an apparatus for measuring a distribution of body fat for a human body, characterized in that it comprises: a first input unit that enters the thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat; a second input unit that enters the girth of abdomen; and an arithmetic element that calculates the area of abdominal visceral fat based upon the data from said first and second input units.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, said first input unit includes an ultrasonic probe.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, said first input unit includes a skin hold caliper.
According to further embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises a third input unit that enters the personal data including sex, age, height, etc.